On the shelf life of valuable content

At model train shows, there is typically a table filled with old train magazines dating back to the 1970s and beyond. And by the end of every show, the table is almost always cleared. Attendees pick though the mags for ideas, pictures and possibly even the articles.

Sitting at the booth next to the free magazine table, I couldn’t help but ponder about how this content still provided value to potential new owners today.

Maybe the value is in the nostalgia or simply the art of modeling trains hasn’t changed that much in 60 years.

What I’m trying to wrap my brain around is how can we create web content today that will still have value 30 + years from now?

We sometimes write about the trending as it is easy to identify and drives traffic to our site now. But the instructional how-to style articles and online courses inspire others to learn something new and apply it to their needs. Therefore, in my opinion, providing more long-term value.

What I realized from the show is the need to identify potential long-term content and how to craft it in a way that will remain valuable for generations (at least a few years) to come.